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Consultants present regionalization feasibility study as residents press questions at joint Franklin–Union school boards meeting
Summary
Consultants presented a feasibility study on potential regionalization of Franklin, Union and Bethlehem school districts at a Sept. 5 joint meeting; multiple residents raised questions during public comment and the boards adjourned after the presentation and comment period.
Franklin and Union Township school boards met jointly Sept. 5 to receive a feasibility study on possible regionalization with Bethlehem schools and to hear public comment. Union Township Board President Cortney Dominianni‑Smith opened the meeting, led a moment of silence for former student Sophia DeTorres and reviewed the process that produced the report.
Consultants named in the minutes—Kerri Wright and Vito Gagliardi of the law firm Porzio, Bromberg & Newman and Dr. Richard Griff of Statistical Forecasting LLC—were listed as presenters for the study. The minutes record the consultants’ presence and the formal presentation heading but do not include verbatim findings or detailed recommendations in the published minutes.
During the public‑comment period, at least a dozen residents spoke, naming concerns and posing questions about the study’s assumptions and conclusions. Commenters listed by the minutes included Ray Buch (10 Duke Court, Pittstown), Yumaidr Zyida (307 N Polktown Road), Ashley Dagrall (15 Crossway, Clinton), Nicholas Filarelle (2 Wood Hollow Drive, Pittstown), David DeGiralamo (70 Driftway West, Hampton), Colin Cecil (20 Laurelton Trail, Flemington), Matt Naughton (21 Laurelton Trail, Flemington), Joanne Hyland (11 Woodland Road, Pittstown), Richard Lordi (186 Main Street, Hampton), Elizabeth Basile (16 Upper Kingstown Road, Pittstown), John Potter (332 Sidney Road) and Lisette Lagoa (56 Wyckoff Drive, Union Township), among others. The minutes record multiple entries for some speakers (for example, Matt Naughton appears in several lines) but do not provide the full text of their questions or the consultants’ detailed responses.
A board member, Caroline Licwinko, interjected near the end of the public‑comment listing to correct a couple of public statements the minutes say were incorrect; the minutes do not specify the corrections. There is no formal action recorded on regionalization at this meeting: the entry and public comment focused on the study and community questions rather than a vote to adopt or move forward with a specific plan.
The meeting concluded with a motion by Allison Luciano, seconded by James Giordano, to adjourn at 8:56 p.m.; the minutes record a voice vote and indicate the motion passed. The minutes were signed and submitted by board secretaries Mark Kramer (Franklin Township) and Eva Preuett (Union Township).
Next steps are not specified in the minutes: the document records presentation and public comment but does not list a board vote or an explicit timeline for further action on regionalization. Interested residents and officials will need to consult future agendas or the full feasibility report for the consultants’ findings and any formal board decisions.
